Inelastic neutron scattering in Zr2NiH1.9 and Zr2NiH4.6

In this paper we report the results obtained from inelastic neutron scattering measurements on Zr2NiH1.9 and Zr2NiH4.6 using triple-axis spectrometer at Dhruva reactor, Trombay. The spectrum up to 35 meV represents largely the lattice modes of Zr and Ni atoms. The vibrational frequencies of hydrogen atoms are expected predominantly at higher energies. The phonon spectra from 35-180 meV were recorded using a Be filter as analyser. In order to analyse the observed neutron spectra, we assume a set of Einstein modes due to the hydrogen atoms which are delta functions in energy. These delta functions are broadened by the resolution of the instrument. The vibrational frequencies obtained from the fitting of the observed phonon spectra have been assigned to various tetrahedral sites in both the compounds.